


NORTHBOUND, I-5

by BellaGracie



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:47:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24953266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellaGracie/pseuds/BellaGracie
Summary: Katniss and Peeta meet cute on the I-5. I've been thinking of writing this for a year, more. Hopefully, I can keep this short.Peeta's a member of the CHP, still smarting from a bad break-up with his high-school sweetheart, Madge, when he sees the red GMC truck driving on the shoulder of the I-5.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Comments: 41
Kudos: 55





	1. CRASH

**Author's Note:**

> The I-5 is the fastest route between San Francisco and San Diego. There's nothing to see, except endless flat fields.

A truck had crashed on the north-bound side of the I-5, spilling its cargo of toys and turning the freeway into an obstacle course of nerf guns, action figures, and assorted dolls. Traffic was blocked for miles. Katniss hadn't bothered to get the air-conditioner on her red GMC truck fixed, she had a lot of other expenses, at least right now, and the heat in mid-July was terrible. She pounded her steering wheel with frustration.

"Come on, come on," she muttered. Her radio didn't work, so she couldn't check on the cause of the crash. "This is fucking stupid!" she yelled out her window, causing the driver of the car in front to glance into his rearview mirror.

I can't take this, she thought. The babysitter'll be pissed. Her younger sister, Prim, was 13, and theoretically she didn't need a babysitter, but Katniss didn't trust the neighbors, especially an overweight, middle-aged guy who seemed entirely too friendly, who was always watching them the few times they'd used the complex's pool, and Katniss didn't trust Prim enough to feel sure she wouldn't let the guy in if he wheedled or said it was an emergency.

"Stay away from the pool," she'd told Prim.

"Why?" Prim had asked.

"Because. Never go to the pool by yourself."

"But it's summer!" Prim had wailed.

"I mean it, Prim! Wait till I get home, then we'll go together."

"You're never home," Prim grumbled.

Their mother had passed. She'd been sick a while, so Katniss had gotten a little bit of a head start on being the family caretaker. At 19, she'd dropped out of community college. That was two years ago. It looked like she'd be stuck in Bakersfield forever, but that was okay, as long as she gave Prim the chance to get out.

Because Prim was smart. She was the smartest student in her class. Straight A's every year, until their mother had passed.

Just like that, Prim's grades had sunk to a C average. Katniss had tried everything: scolding, then bribing, then just flat-out begging. The school had a psychologist who saw Prim once a week. "She's severely depressed," the therapist told Katniss. "Give her time."

"She doesn't have time," Katniss said. "She needs to get into a good college, she needs to pull her grades up."

God. Katniss drums on the steering wheel. It's 6 p.m. The babysitter she'd hired, a 17-year-old who worked summers in the plant nursery that also employed Katniss, might leave. She had assured Nikki she'd be back by 6.

She makes the decision quickly: the shoulder is free, and she knows it's only a few miles to the next exit. She has to go for it.

* * *

Peeta Mellark, three-year veteran of the CHP, had had his heart broken. Madge, who'd been his girlfriend forever, since high school, and who was the girl he was sure he would marry, had broken up with him three weeks earlier.

"Why?" he'd asked her.

"What can I say, Peeta?" Madge had said, looking sad. "You're a sweet guy, but I don't think I'm in love with you."

And, just like that, Peeta had cracked wide open. So now there was just work. Work, work and more work. He was sitting in his cruiser on the northbound side of I-5, surveying the chaos of the truck spill. That's when he saw the red GMC truck peel out of its lane, go up on the shoulder, and gun it. Black smoke came out of the tailpipe.

The driver was a dark-haired woman (probably high, Peeta thought) who didn't even seem to notice when his cruiser practically nudged her truck's bumper. She kept going for a good quarter-mile. When she was a couple of yards from the exit, Peeta flashed his lights and turned on his siren.


	2. SCHOOL TOGETHER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tweaked the 1st chapter to make them closer in age. Katniss is 21, Peeta dropped out of college and joined the CHP (for reasons I will lay out in a backstory, if I ever get farther into this written-on-the-fly story). I made him a three-year instead of a five-year veteran of the CHP: he's 23.

The driver of the beat-up GMC truck had finally spotted him. She slowed, to well below the speed limit, but he kept his siren on. Finally, she pulled over on the emergency shoulder. He could see a slender, brown arm through the driver's window -- three silver bracelets jingled on her wrist. Peeta's heart picked up, he didn't know why. He took his time checking the license plate -- he got only routine information. The truck was a 2012 model, registered to a Katniss Everdeen. The address was Jacinta Drive. He didn't know that neighborhood, which meant it was decent. No riff-raff, probably mostly families.

Peeta stepped out of his cruiser and approached the truck on the passenger side. Then he leaned down and looked through the window.

"So what did I do, Officer?" she said. Her voice was low, gravelly, the voice of someone who'd smoked all her life. But the woman the voice belonged to was -- he saw clear enough -- just a girl. A beautiful girl. Silver eyes! Wow, Peeta had never seen eyes like that before.

The temperature had to be at least a hundred. She wore her long, dark hair in a braid; tendrils had gotten loose and were stuck to her neck. She was wearing a thin, white T-shirt, frayed-at-the-knees jeans, and scuffed boots.

She spoke again: "Is there a problem, Officer?"

"Good morning, ma'am." Peeta almost licked his lips. "Your muffler's letting out excessive smoke. I need your license, registration, and insurance."

"It is?" So she was trying the innocent act. Should he go along? She began unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Stay where you are!" Peeta ordered.

"Sorry, Officer," she said, sounding contrite. "I'll get that muffler fixed. I hadn't noticed it was doing that."

"It means your engine's probably burning up too much fuel." Peeta cleared his throat. "License, registration, and insurance."

The woman locked eyes with him and suddenly Peeta felt that he needed a haircut, and regretted that his sunglasses were just cheap Ray-ban knockoffs. He was aware of the sweat stains on his shirt.

The woman's gaze shifted to Peeta's name tag. A look of shock fell across her face. "Mellark. PEETA Mellark? We went to high school together. Your family owned the diner out in Yucca Valley. The Pantry? You still own it?"

No way. If Peeta had gone to high school with this woman, he would have remembered her. "Ma'am. License, registration, insurance."

"You had two older brothers. All of you were on the wrestling team. You won regionals one year."

"For the last time, license, registration, insurance."

She scowled and leaned across the passenger side to reach into the glove compartment. Her arm had a tattoo of a bird on a branch. It came to him in a flash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm trying to think of a reason why Peeta wouldn't remember Katniss from high school. Maybe she wore glasses, obscuring her silver eyes. Maybe she wore braces. Maybe he was too distracted by cheerleaders.


	3. ONCE, THE WHOLE WORLD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tweaked the ending of this chapter. I don't have a beta and rely exclusively on reader's comments. Thank you to the reader who said it was jarring that Peeta wants to ask Katniss out at the end. (He WANTS to; but want and WILL HE REALLY are two very different things. I know he's an ass. This is who he is in this story -- an ass.)

"So what did you say?" Finnick asked. He was a friend, the only friend Peeta had made in the three years he'd been in the CHP. Which probably meant Madge was right: he was sleepwalking his way through, he didn't seem to have any real ambitions. She still hadn't told him if there had been someone else, but Peeta had a feeling there was.

Finnick was in his kitchen, stirring some pasta in a huge pot. The steam gave his face a slightly blurred quality. He didn't often invite Peeta to sample his cooking, but there was enough in Peeta's voice that told Finnick he would appreciate his company that night.

"There was a guy in school who had that exact same tattoo," Finnick was saying. "I couldn't believe it when I saw it again at my last traffic stop. Guy was wearing a Hell's Angels jacket, a Nazi helmet, and he had that tattoo on his forearm."

"But this is a girl I used to know in high school . . . " Peeta said.

"It was?" Finnick said. "You didn't tell me that part."

"I didn't remember at first, she looked so different. She's a few years younger than me in high school. And she used to be . . . a little strange."

"What do you mean, strange?" Finnick asked, looking directly at Peeta.

"Well . . . " Peeta shifted. "She didn't have any friends, and she wore these really weird clothes. Like she was stuck in a bad 80s movie . . . "

"Hey, don't knock 80s movies," Finnick said.

"And she scowled at everybody. Honestly, I didn't recognize her."

"So, what did she look like now?" Finnick asked, resuming his leisurely stirring.

Peeta bit his bottom lip. He cleared his throat. "She -- she's really beautiful. She has silver eyes! I never noticed. I guess I never looked that closely at her in school. She's slender, with really long legs . . . "

Finnick guffawed. Peeta stopped and blushed.

The scene was playing in his mind:

_"I'm pretty sure we had some classes together," the woman said, pulling out her license and registration. "Biology, I think it was. Or maybe algebra."_

_Peeta took the paper slips from her. There was the merest brush of their fingers. "I need your insurance, too."_

_"Like I said, I'll get that muffler looked at right away."_

_"Insurance."_

_"I don't have it on me right now."_

_"What's your date of birth?"_

_The woman leaned back in her seat and stared at the road. She said something between her teeth that Peeta didn't quite catch. A complaint or a curse. Peeta felt no satisfaction now, as he looked at her. Excessive muffler smoke was a minor offense, he could let her off._

_"May 8, 1999."_

_"All right. Wait here," Peeta said. He went back to his cruiser, cranked up the airconditioning, and drank from the lukewarm water bottle that was wedged in the cup holder. He kept his eyes on the woman. She was smoking a cigarette, which made him want one, too. But he'd left his pack in his locker back at the station. He propped the registration and insurance against his laptop monitor and typed in the birth date the woman -- Everdeen -- had given him. The license immediately came up. He checked the registration. It was current._

_Peeta picked up the water bottle again, but found it was empty. His tongue felt dry and heavy. He stepped out of the cruiser into the blazing heat. Christ, how many hours until sunset? How many hours till his shift was over?_

_He tried to follow protocol -- he reminded the woman why she'd been pulled over and told her that, since she couldn't provide proof of insurance, she would have to pay a hefty fine. Anywhere between $200 and $500. "Since this is your first offense, your fine will be in the low end of the spectrum." She scowled and he knew she was about to make things difficult._

_"Step out of the vehicle. Slowly. Keep your hands where I can see them."_

_"Why?" she said._

_"Step out of the vehicle. Now."_

_"It's a fucking muffler," she said, through gritted teeth. "I can get it fixed tomorrow. Come on."_

_When he didn't budge, she grudgingly opened the driver's door and slipped out._

_"Turn around and put your arms behind your back."_

_"What?" she cried. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're taking me down to the station?"_

_He read her her rights and cuffed her._

_"Do you have anything in your truck I should know about? Drugs? Weapons?"_

_"No," she whispered, all the fight gone out of her suddenly. "Why are you doing this to me?"_

_"I'm just doing my job."_

_"Fuck you."_

_He yanked her towards his cruiser and shoved her into the back seat. Cars zoomed by, all of them slowing so the occupants could get a good look. The cruiser had been idling awhile and now it reeked of sweat and the hamburger he'd had for lunch. Peeta took a deep breath and reminded himself to stay calm. He got into the driver's seat and called the dispatcher to ask for a tow truck._

_The minute he said the words 'tow truck' he heard a muffled gasp from the back seat. "I need my phone," she said._

_"I'll get it. Where'd you keep it?"_

_"On the passenger seat."_

_"Don't try anything funny."_

_Silence. Peeta thought of one more thing. "Are you on any medications?" he asked. He could have said "substances" but he wanted to see if she would confess on her own. She didn't._

_"Any other tats besides the one on your arm?"_

_"No," she whispered._

_He turned around and looked at the woman. Her face was red, and her eyes were glassy. "Where'd you get the tattoo?" he asked._

_"Oh, so having a tattoo is against the law now?'"_

_"Depends on what it stands for. That's a full-color tat. Must have taken several sessions under the needle." Still she refused to answer. "I've seen tattoos like that before."_

_He was really disappointed, suddenly. He didn't want this woman to be one of those. One of those gang side-chicks. He'd expected her to be more than that._

_But why, why? And then he knew why._

* * *

After, Peeta finally did remember. But they were already at the station, and there was a tremble in her voice when she called her sister.

Peeta decided to drive her home. The sister was waiting in the living room, white-faced. "Katniss!" she called out, and ran to her.

Peeta had felt so bad, he ended up insisting on taking them both to dinner. Well, not a real dinner, just a Burger King down the road. Katniss didn't want to, but her sister pleaded with her. The way she and her sister -- Prim -- held their buns, the way Prim's eyes widened with pleasure as she bit into hers, made a knot tighten in Peeta's gut. It's just a Burger King, he wanted to say. He also wanted to say, I'm so sorry, but decided he'd leave that for the next time.

"I can't believe you cuffed her," Finnick said, shaking his head. "Well, pasta's ready."

"I can't believe I did that, either," Peeta said.


	4. SORRY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts off in Katniss's point of view (which I really enjoyed writing), but switches to Peeta's by the end. I thought of putting white space to alert the reader but in the end decided to let it just flow.

She and Prim were watching a movie in the multi-plex at the mall. They hardly ever did things like that, but Prim had a crush on _______, Katniss couldn't even remember the actor's name, but after they had their blue raspberry icees and got settled in the fake leather seats that smelled just slightly of Lysol, all Katniss could think was, That actor looks like Peeta.

She had had something of a crush, in fact most of the time until he graduated. She knew he had that pretty girlfriend, Madge. All the guys wanted to date Madge, but of course Madge had her pick and she ended up choosing the best, which was Peeta. Katniss would watch them sometimes, always checking that her scowl was in place because she didn't want anyone catching on. The last thing she needed was for someone to say, _Weirdo's got a thing for Peeta!_ Then she'd never hear the end of it.

In the end, he'd graduated, and Katniss had breathed easier. She'd even attended a party and lost her virginity, because that was what she thought you needed to do to be cool. But she was wrong.

So, it seemed the Peeta-like actor was a Main Character, which meant he was on-screen for 75% of the movie, and afterwards, while Prim was going on and on and on about her crush, who Katniss now remembered had the last name Hemsworth, who was the older brother of the one who'd appeared in The Hunger Games movies, she was remembering Peeta from school. And wouldn't you know, just a week later, he pulled her over. Peeta Mellark was now a fine, upstanding member of the CHP. And he was mean to her. And he didn't remember her at all. Which, if you wanted to know the truth, did sting a little. But after Katniss realized Peeta didn't know who the heck she was, she sort of gave up and reached down deep and decided to stop talking. And it was when she stopped talking that Peeta -- Hells Bells -- suddenly up and remembered.

He acted like a completely different creature, that's how she knew he'd finally remembered. He asked her a lot of things about her tattoo, which was a silly thing she'd had done when Gale worked at the tattoo parlor. She'd gotten it practically for free, the tattoo guy kept asking her out but she wouldn't. Maybe she let him hope, a little. But she thought he was gross. After he finished the tattoo, she avoided going to that part of downtown Bakersfield. Gale told her afterwards that the man was bothering HIM for her address. She got scared and said, _Gale, I hope you didn't --_

Gale said, Of course not, and she believed him.

She did sort of like the tattoo, but she didn't like remembering that guy, so she tried not to remember too much. And here was Peeta, her high school crush, making so much of that one part of her body. A part that had nothing to do with her, not really.

When Peeta was driving her home that day -- AFTER he remembered -- he kept apologizing. He said he could try and get the charge dropped, he could say he saw her insurance card, it had slipped underneath the seat or something. When she refused to answer him, he began to sound a little desperate, and said he could pay her fine if he couldn't get the charge dropped. She didn't say anything to that, either. Then he said, "You'll have to go to the arraignment, I'm sorry. It's at the courthouse. I'll make sure I'm there, too."

An arraignment! Oh God! Katniss had slid down further in her seat and scowled -- not at him, but at her boots. She couldn't bear to look at him, this guy who she'd had a crush on for so long, who'd turned out to be so mean.

The air had gotten really muggy. Thunderclouds were building. Katniss looked absently out the window of Peeta's cruiser -- she'd rolled the window all the way down to take the heat off her face and her neck, she was sure she stunk like a swamp. She looked at the mountains in the distance, their outlines so faint. What's up there, she wondered. She'd always wanted to drive up there, but never had the time. Life was strange, that way.

Peeta drove her to her apartment complex but instead of letting her off near her unit, he parked. Katniss was surprised. She was getting ready to jump out of his car when he put a hand on her arm, the one with the tattoo. _Oh my God! Peeta Mellark touched me! He actually touched me!_ But now what? Was he going to try and cop a feel? She didn't trust him. _He's a cop, just a cop_. She yanked her arm away. She tried to storm away but he was quick -- quicker than you'd expect, with that bulky build. And he followed her all the way up the stairs, all the way until she stopped at her door, turned to look him full in the face and asked, "What do you want?"

The look he'd given her! Up close, from less than a foot away, his eyes were so blue! They almost hurt to look at. Katniss dropped her gaze.

"I'm sorry," he said, softly. "I do remember now . . . "

 _Woo-hoo_ , Katniss wanted to say. _You remembered! Big fucking deal!_

"It doesn't matter," Katniss brushed him off, pushing the door open.

And then, nothing mattered but seeing Prim's white, tear-streaked face as she sat on their lumpy sofa, _trying to hold it together._ This was the part that almost broke Katniss. Prim flew into Katniss's arms, almost as soon as the door opened.

 _Oof!_ Katniss went. And patted her sister's shoulder. "Nothing to worry about. I'm here now."

After a long while, Prim had pulled back and looked at Peeta, her eyes very round. "What -- what happened?" she stammered.

"You don't have to worry," Peeta said, surprising Katniss by stepping forward. "It's my fault. I'll take care of everything. I'd like to make it up to both of you. Can I take you for a bite to eat?"

* * *

PEETA

Until that moment, Peeta hadn't even realized that that was what he was building up to. Food for love. There was something a little unequal in the exchange, he thought. At least it had been, all the years of his growing up. All that kneading, all that baking his father used to do.

Food was a substitute for love. But it would do, Peeta thought. At least for now.

Katniss had whirled to face him, her mouth a little open in shock. Then she'd swallowed. "No," she said.

_Peeta's father turning to him and winking, passing him a cheese bun and whispering, Our little secret._

"Are you listening? I said no," Katniss said.

"Katniss, I want to," Prim said. "I'm hungry."

And that was all it took.

Half an hour later, they were in the Burger King. Peeta's heart swelled with warmth, remembering.

With the sisters seated across from him, Peeta couldn't bring himself to start eating, for some reason. So instead, he started telling them a story. It was a funny story, Peeta was good at those.

"The most remarkable thing about us is that for twenty years, my mother served us nothing but leftovers," he said.

"But your family owns that diner!" Prim said.

"Yeah. Go figure. But it's a fact. Leftovers."

"How's Madge?" Katniss broke in, interrupting his story. _Some men don't wear wedding rings. It's a legitimate question._

Peeta's turn to gawk, now. She knew about Madge? _Were they friends?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About an hour ago, I heard about one of the best writers on here: baronesskika.
> 
> Gutted.


	5. WELL, HELLO AGAIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternating points of view: Katniss, then Peeta, then Katniss again.
> 
> Just noticed that Kris22 is back with a fan fiction of Ronja's fan fiction, and it is fantastic! Here's the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26579407/chapters/64800964
> 
> Want to thank Loueze for her thoughtful comments. I tweaked the scene. She was right about the call -- how would Peeta have gotten her number if he hadn't looked in her file. So I -- sort of finessed by cutting that scene and having them meet totally by accident. What are the odds? But that's definitely less creepy than him calling her cell.

"So, what happened with him?" Prim asked, the minute Peeta had gone.

"Just -- never mind. The muffler. I need to get it fixed."

"He pulled you over for a muffler?"

"Yeah," Katniss said. It was so stupid. Her brow furrowed. She'd have to get her car from the tow lot. How much would it cost? She'd have to put it on her card, and her limit was only $500. Honestly, with that and the fine, which he offered to pay -- though she wouldn't let him -- she was all out of money. All for a stupid muffler.

"He's cute," Prim remarked.

* * *

The next morning, bright and early, Peeta was waiting for her outside the apartment building.

Katniss paused when she saw him. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I paid the towing fee. Your truck's ready, but if you don't mind, I'd like to drive you there."

"No, thanks," Katniss said, trying to brush past him. "I can take the bus."

"Katniss, please," he said. "I'm really sorry for yesterday. It's just -- I've had a bad week." He hadn't meant to say that, but it had just come out. Probably out of desperation.

* * *

PEETA

Peeta hadn't expected her to relent, but she had. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and a faded Dodgers baseball cap. She pulled it low when she got into his cruiser, so he couldn't see her eyes.

There was an uncomfortable silence for the first 10 minutes, until Peeta asked her what kind of music she liked to listen to, he could turn on the radio.

"It's fine," she said, and kept her eyes out the window.

He remembered something about her. "How's Gale?"

She turned and stared at him.

"He's -- you two were close, right?"

Afterwards, Peeta cursed himself for being so out of practice. He and Madge had been together for six years. Six years! They should have gotten married. Things were so comfortable between them. He'd forgotten completely what it entailed to make small talk with a girl he was attracted to. He'd almost mentioned Metallica because he thought it was the kind of music the rebel kids in high school liked. Thank goodness he hadn't.

They got to the tow lot twenty minutes later. Her truck was parked out front, and it had been given the best cleaning the lot operator, a man named Rossi, could manage on short notice. When Rossi saw Katniss, he gave a low whistle and said, "This your new girl?" Katniss had thrown him such an angry look that Rossi, a big man who was not usually given to embarrassment, turned bright red and then made an excuse to hurry back inside his office.

Katniss got into the driver's seat and backed out of the lot so quickly, her tires screeched. She didn't look back. After a moment, Peeta realized Rossi had come back outside. "She's a real firecracker, that one," Rossi said. "Where'd you meet her?"

"School," Peeta said, with a rueful shrug.

"And you two never got together back then?" Rossi said, a note of amazement in his voice.

"I was with Madge," Peeta said.

* * *

KATNISS

The next time Katniss saw Peeta Mellark was a month later, in the fresh produce section of Kasa Market. She could recall every detail of that moment. The loudspeaker was blaring a special on red seedless grapes and honeydew melons. A woman was cradling her infant as she bagged navel oranges, an elderly couple were arguing over how many onions they should buy, and she was picking out cauliflowers. 'Locally produced' said the sign over the bin: from Coachella Valley. She'd moved on to the tomatoes when she heard an unfamiliar man's voice:

"Katniss?" At first, she thought it was the tattoo artist, and froze. "It's Peeta," the voice said. "Peeta Mellark."

She wheeled around. There he was. Standing just behind her in the same aisle.

She didn't want to answer, and then she did. "Hi."

"You come here often?"

She thought about it for a second. Lied. "Newp."

"Huh."

She couldn't help glancing at his cart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, these two broken people. This story is so clear in my head, all the way to the end. If you think it's not believable, I'm sorry and I'll try and do better. But I'm definitely aiming for the finish line, some of you might want to stick around for that.
> 
> Comments are more than welcome!


	6. KASA MARKET

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tweaking this, taking out the one line abt text-ing. It works out better for the NEXT chapter, when he bumps into Katniss (AGAIN!) at the bar. (I'm tweaking the next chapter as well. At the very least, it'll be longer)

KATNISS

Peeta had, in his cart, a box of condoms. The box was blue. She recognized it immediately because . . . well, just because. They had exchanged some uninteresting small talk, then she had made some excuse and ducked out of the store immediately.

She didn't know why seeing that box in Peeta's cart upset her, they were nothing to each other. No, less than nothing: she was the girl he'd arrested for driving without insurance. Sure, he'd apologized and paid for her fine, and paid for the towing, and drove her to get her car, and now and then she'd get a twinge of anxiety when she saw a CHP patrol car in her rear view. It was never him; she wasn't sure what to feel about that, really. She knew he'd been trying hard to make up for the roughness of their initial encounter. She must have the worst luck in the world, going to Kasa Mart at the SAME TIME AS PEETA MELLARK.

And now she couldn't stop thinking of the box, or of what Peeta was like in bed.

PEETA

He had tried not to think of her, he really had. Finnick had tried to set him up with a mutual friend, Tracy. But she turned out to be much too young, and seemed more interested in the waitress at the restaurant he'd taken her to than in Peeta. It made Peeta half-annoyed and half-amused that Finnick had set him up with a woman who was more interested in women. Why had she agreed to go out with him, then? Later, when he was telling Finnick about the date, Finnick's eyes grew round and he said, "Wait, I know another person. This woman's a real firecracker . . . "

Peeta let Finnick talk, but he was suddenly reminded of what Rossi at the tow lot had said about Katniss. And he wanted to see her so badly. He remembered how she'd looked the day he drove her to get her truck. How she'd slouched down in his cruiser and pulled the baseball cap low so he couldn't see her eyes.

The Kasa Market was a community market. The anger management group his superior told him to attend was not far away. There was a bulletin board right next to the entrance, crammed with old flyers advertising swim classes for kids, ballroom dancing for seniors, the local drive-in's Festival of Horror Films. Peeta stood there for a moment, perusing the notices of past events. And of course, she just had to be there. His heart almost stopped at the sight of her. Because she was really, really beautiful, even if her face was completely devoid of make-up, and her hair was in a long braid down her back, and she was wearing old jeans with gaps at the knees, and a worn pair of boots.

And then, he saw her eyes wander to his cart, and his heart had sunk. He knew she saw. And soon after, she'd made up some excuse and left the store.

Yes, Peeta had met a woman. Not one of Finnick's friends, he'd had enough of being set up by Finnick. He'd met this woman at McLean's. The woman had started the conversation, and because she had long, dark hair that reminded him of someone, they'd hooked up. Several more times after that. And he'd invited her to his cabin that weekend. And Peeta thought they would have a fine time.

He'd asked the woman -- whose name was Clove, he'd never live it down if he told Finnick -- to come up that weekend because there was something he didn't want to remember. Every time he did, it was agony.

One October, many years ago, he and his dad were on their way to Home Depot. It was supposed to be a short trip. Peeta was behind the wheel. He was 16, still a student driver, and his dad had to keep reminding him to go slow. The truck came out of nowhere. The driver had stopped at a bar somewhere in the godawful Mojave, and had had one drink too many.


	7. McLEAN'S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing these chapters really fast, sometimes I slip up. Like in last chapter, when I had Peeta text-ing Katniss, which as was pointed out to me in a previous comment, would be like stalking. He stumbles a bit in the beginning of their conversation here, which I felt was more appropriate. 
> 
> Maybe it's not believable that these two would bump into each other AGAIN -- southern California is a BIG place! But, Peeta is a regular at McLean's, Katniss had a fight with Prim and needed to blow off some steam . . .

KATNISS

She was tired. A squabble with Prim -- "You keep pushing me!" -- and she'd decided, it was too much. She'd gone to work, left Prim at home after making her promise NOT TO GO TO THE POOL because creeper guy. Now, after checking up on Prim, she'd decided to sneak into McLean's for a quick drink before heading home. She'd never done it -- not in almost two years. It was just past five on a Wednesday. Happy Hour. Whoop-dee-do! Drinks were half-price. Katniss walked in and saw the place was quiet. The only other occupant was a man in blue overalls, scratching at a lottery ticket with a car key.

She almost didn't recognize the place, it was so empty. She took a seat at the bar. She wanted a drink fast, and then she'd be out of there.

A couple of people in hiking clothes and wide-brimmed hats came in five minutes after her. Tourists, Katniss thought, turning her back. They huddled over a table, and spent the next five minutes arguing over whether to get garlic fries or sweet potato fries.

"Hey, bartender!" Katniss called out. She was sick of being ignored.

The bartender was chatting with the man in blue overalls and didn't hear her.

"Yo!" Katniss tried again.

"Katniss," a voice called from behind.

She swiveled so fast that her bag fell out of her lap, spilling its contents -- keys, mace, a few crumpled dollar bills, her cell phone. It was a fantastic mess. Peeta Mellark stood over it, looking embarrassed. He wasn't in uniform. In a T-shirt and jeans, he looked younger. How old was he, really? Surely not more than a year or two older.

"I'm sorry," he said, stooping to pick up her stuff from the floor. A very dirty, grimy floor, Katniss noticed. "I didn't mean to startle you like that."

"It's okay," Katniss said, hopping off her stool. He handed her things to her and she shoved them into her bag without looking. "I was just leaving." 

"Wait. Weren't you going to get a drink?"

"I was, but --" Katniss said, deliberately raising her voice and casting a scornful glance at the bartender over her shoulder. He was still talking to the other man. "But I'm sick of waiting." She turned back to Peeta. "What are you doing here?"

Peeta had the grace to look embarrassed. "I was driving by when I saw you enter the bar."

"I hardly ever come here."

"I know. I mean -- I'm sorry, I'm trying not to sound like so much of a creep. It's just, after we -- umm. I mean, after I -- I swear I wasn't following you. I stopped at a red light, looked to my right, and there you were. Look, can we just start over? They have decent burgers here. Want to get a table?"

Katniss's face heated. Seriously, Peeta Mellark did not just invite her to have dinner with him. Did he?

"Nah. I got to head back. Prim's waiting for me."

"Stay for a drink, at least." 

Katniss found herself giving way. "All right," she said, with a small nod.

The relief that washed over Peeta's face was palpable. He shouted, "Hey, bartender! Can you get the lady a drink?"

"Sure!" the bartender said, finally coming over. "What can I get you, hon?"

Katniss bristled. She hated being called 'hon' or 'sweetheart.' But, hey, this was a bar. And she wasn't paying.

"Could I have a gin and tonic, please?" she asked. She'd originally wanted a beer. But this evening, with the way Peeta was looking at her, she felt special.

"Sure thing," the bartender said. "Anything to eat?"

"No. Just the drink. Thank you."

"Sir?" the bartender said, turning to Peeta. As a matter of fact, Katniss hated that, too. How the bartender was more deferential to Peeta.

"I'll have the burger, medium with fries," Peeta said. "And a glass of water."

"Coming right up," the bartender said.

"All right if we move to a table?" Peeta asked.

"Sure!" the bartender said, gesturing to the practically empty room. "Take your pick."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What EVER will these two have to talk about? Hmmm.


	8. PEETA, EARLIER THAT DAY

Peeta pulled into the parking lot of the detention center in West Valley and sat in his Jeep, with the keys still in the ignition. At the café across the street, lightbulbs glowed, trapped inside the barred windows. Two people came out and chatted on the sidewalk for a few minutes before heading off in opposite directions.

There was time yet to turn back. Go home. Study for his test (he was taking night classes, hoping to graduate, finally, from college. It had taken him years to get to this point, Madge had wanted him to, and he had done it for her, but now -- he shook his head. He was exhausted just thinking about her and his dashed hopes)

And now his older brother's problems. Half an hour later, Rye came out of central holding. There were shadows under his eyes, and his pale skin looked bruised, but his eyes were piercing blue as ever. Peeta and Rye had that blue, the Mellark blue. His other brother, Bannock, had the lighter blue of his mother's eyes. His mother . . .

Peeta shook his head again. Because of a backlog of cases, Rye hadn't been brought before a judge until the day before, when bail was set, which meant he'd spent four nights at West Valley. At the counter, Rye signed his name on a form and was handed the Ziploc bag that held his keys and wallet. He threw Peeta a grateful smile when he saw him waiting. He walked straight out the double doors of the entrance and stood on the sidewalk, as if trying to find his bearings. It was late on a Wednesday afternoon. A long line of birds sat motionless on the telephone line that stretched across the street. A smell of coffee drifted out from somewhere.

Peeta drove his jeep up. "Let's get outta here," Rye said to Peeta, as he got in the car. "Thank you for posting my bail."

The radio was on a country music station. Peeta turned it down before saying, "You're welcome. But here's the fine print."

"What's that?" Rye said, buckling his seatbelt.

"You're going to therapy," Peeta said.

Rye stopped, his hand frozen mid-air. "Fuck, no."

"No?"

"I'm not dealing with that shit again."

"Listen. If it'll make you feel any better, I've joined a support group at the community center. A support group for people with anger management issues. It's helped me. You know we both have the same issues. Because of mom."

"You want me to join your support group?"

"You could if you wanted to. The guy who runs it has a masters degree, he knows what he's doing, and he's really good."

"I'm not going to sit around with a bunch of people moaning and bitching about their feelings. If that's what you wanted to do, you could have gone to me, Jesus."

Peeta eased out of the parking lot and onto the street. At the first light, he pulled a Marlboro from his pack. It was his third cigarette of the day. Or maybe his fourth. He felt he was making progress. It couldn't be harder to quit than liquor and he'd never looked back once he'd set his mind to it. He took a deep drag, savoring his cigarette because he'd decided it would be his last of the day. Rye lowered the passenger side window to let out the smoke. "That stuff'll kill ya," he said.

Peeta stared. Then, after a moment, he said, "All men must die."

"Yeah, yeah," Rye mumbled.

They were both thinking of their father. After a moment, Rye turned to Peeta again and said, "But, seriously, what are you doing to yourself? Is this all because of Madge?"

"You think I started drinking because of Madge?"

"Well, yeah. It's only been six months. And you've been acting kinda crazy since then."

"Look, I'm over Madge," Peeta said, a vein throbbing in his jaw. "But I think you should know: your wife's going to file a restraining order against you."

"Who? What?" Rye burst out. "Why?"

"Because," Peeta said. "You can't see her. I'm taking you to my place."

"Jesus, what does that crazy bitch want?" Rye cried. "I signed the divorce papers. I wasn't the one who smashed her damn car."

"All right. Good. I'm still taking you to my place. I already picked up some of your clothes from Angie."

Rye slouched further in his seat. For the rest of the ride to Peeta's place, he was quiet. When they got to Peeta's apartment building, he got meekly out of the car. Peeta, glancing over at his brother, noticed how much grayer he'd gotten in the past month. What was happening to their family? It wasn't supposed to be like this.


End file.
